As the global focus on sustainability intensifies, CSR-in-Action has announced the introduction of a forward-thinking competition at this year’s Sustainability in the Extractive Industries (SITEI) Conference, scheduled for October 22, 2024.
This new feature aims to ignite innovative thinking and generate actionable solutions centered around green financing in the mining and oil industries.
With the competition theme, “Designing a Game-Changing Green-Financing Solution for Africa’s Extractive Sector,” participants will explore how sustainable financing can be harnessed to transform Africa’s extractive landscape, driving positive environmental and social outcomes.
The competition is poised to attract individual thinkers and collaborative teams, empowering them to present bold ideas that address the pressing sustainability challenges facing Nigeria’s extractive industries.
Bekeme Olowola, chief executive of CSR-in-Action and Convener of SITEI, stated,
“The global push for sustainability requires innovative solutions that can be applied in real-world scenarios. Through this competition, we are giving forward-thinking individuals and teams a platform to present ideas that can reshape Africa’s extractive sector while promoting sustainable growth.”
The competition timeline is as follows: submissions are due by 14 October 2024. Participants must submit a 500-700 word written pitch via email to submission@sitei.org, outlining their proposed sustainability solutions for the extractive sector and how these align with green financing principles.
Thereafter, five finalists will be shortlisted based on innovation, feasibility, scalability, and impact. They will be invited to deliver a five-minute virtual pitch on 16 October 2024.
The emergent top two finalists will be invited for an in-person recording session on 20 October 2024 in Lagos (location to be disclosed), with the final voting and winner announcement occurring during the SITEI 2024 conference on 22 October 2024, featuring real-time audience voting.
The winner will receive ₦250,000 and a feature in the SITEI post-conference media, while the runner-up will be awarded a plaque and media recognition.